January 02, 2016

Lions Gain New Endangered Species Protections

Two lion subspecies will now be protected by the
Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced today
(Dec. 21).Panthera leo melanochaita, a
lion subspecies
living in eastern and southern Africa, will be listed as threatened, while
Panthera leo leo, a subspecies found in western and central Africa and
in India, will receive endangered status, FWS officials said. New genetic data
prompted the agency to recognize western and central African lions as subspecies
P. leo leo, and spurred their"endangered" classification."Subspecies" defines groups within species that
are genetically distinct but still capable of interbreeding. A 2014 proposal had
prompted the FSW to grant the western and central African lions "threatened"
status. But according to today's FSW announcement, scientific information
indicated that lions in those areas were actually more closely related to
Asiatic lions and that they should be identified as such — P. leo leo.
[In Photos: A Lion's Life]

And because P. leo leopopulations are significantly smaller than P. leo melanochaita, the agency determined
that "endangered" status was more appropriate for the group. Only 1,400 P.
leo leo individuals remain in the wild — about 900 in 14 African groups and
around 500 in India.P. leo melanochaita's numbers are
more reassuring, with an estimated 17,000 to 19,000 animals living across
southern and eastern Africa, mostly in protected areas. That may seem like a
lot, but estimates of lion populations in the mid-20th century placed them at
around 200,000 individuals, FWS Director Dan Ashe said today at a news briefing.
Ashe went on to add that the expansion of human populations and activities will
only continue to threaten the lions
and their habitats.Established in 1973, the Endangered Species Act
(ESA) was signed into law to conserve species and their habitats by identifying
which species are most vulnerable to extinction and enforcing policies to
protect them. The U.S. agencies administering the ESA are the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, which is primarily responsible for plants and animals on land
and in freshwater bodies like rivers and lakes, and the National Ocean and
Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), which
oversees marine wildlife.Under the ESA, species are listed as "endangered," which
describes "any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a
significant portion of its range," and "threatened," identifying "any species
which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future."
A 2013 list published by the FWS identified 2,054 species worldwide as
endangered or threatened, of which 1,436 are native to the United
States.In a statement, the FWS cited decades of alarming
and continuous decline in African lion populations as one of the chief reasons
for the status change. Factors identified as the biggest threats to lions included habitat
loss due to agriculture, killings to
prevent or retaliate against lions' preying on livestock, and inadequate
management of protected areas.In July 2015, the death of the African lion "Cecil"
at the hands of an American hunter sparked waves of outrage across social media
channels, along with calls for stronger conservation measures to protect African
lions. During today's news briefing, Ashe said that, while hunting is not
responsible for the recent sharp decline of African lion populations, steps must
be taken to ensure that revenue from hunting provides economic support for lion
management and conservation efforts.Beginning in 30 days, the U.S. import of any live
lion specimen, products or hunting trophies will require a permit issued by the
FWS, Ashe said. During the application process, the agency will determine
whether the activity in question contributed to the enhancement of the species
in the wild. Tying economic gain to lion conservation, Ashe said, would also
encourage local communities to engage in developing sustainable solutions for
Africa's lions. Otherwise, "people will continue to see them as a threat," he
said, "and not a benefit."The ESA ruling will be added to the Federal
Register on Dec. 23, 2015, and will go into effect on Jan. 22, 2016.Follow Mindy Weisberger on Twitter and Google+.
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Original article on Live Science.